Latest Articles
Commentary | Therapeutics and PreventionProgress in Elucidating Potential Markers and Mechanisms of Rapid Protection Conferred by the VSV-Vectored Ebola Virus Vaccine...Research progress over the past 20 years has yielded several experimental Ebola virus (EBOV) vaccine candidates, which were shown to be effective in nonhuman primates when given 28 days before a lethal challenge. Of these, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-vectored vaccine against EBOV (VSV-EBOV) is unique at being able to induce rapid protection, with 100% survival achieved as soon as 7 days after EBOV challenge.
Editor's Pick Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyCauses and Effects of Loss of Classical Nonhomologous End Joining Pathway in Parasitic EukaryotesParasites tend to evolve small and compact genomes, generally endowed with a high mutation rate, compared with those of their free-living relatives. However, the mechanisms by which they achieve these features, independently in unrelated lineages, remain largely unknown. We argue that the loss of the classical nonhomologous end joining pathway components may be one of the crucial steps responsible for characteristic features of parasite...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRocA Binds CsrS To Modulate CsrRS-Mediated Gene Regulation in Group A StreptococcusBacterial two-component regulatory systems, comprising a membrane-bound sensor kinase and cytosolic response regulator, are critical in coordinating the bacterial response to changing environmental conditions. More recently, auxiliary regulators which act to modulate the activity of two-component systems, allowing integration of multiple signals and fine-tuning of bacterial responses, have been identified. RocA is a regulatory protein...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyClinical Persistence of Chlamydia trachomatis Sexually Transmitted Strains Involves Novel Mutations in the Functional αββα Tetramer of the Tryptophan Synthase OperonChlamydia trachomatis (Ct) is the most common sexually transmitted bacterium with more than 131 million cases occurring annually worldwide. Ct infections are often asymptomatic, persisting for many years despite treatment. In vitro recovery from persistence occurs when indole is utilized by the organism’s tryptophan synthase to synthesize...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Pathogen Genomic Differences That Impact Human Immune Response and Disease during Cryptococcus neoformans InfectionEven with the best available care, mortality rates in cryptococcal meningitis range from 20% to 60%. Disease is often due to infection by the fungus Cryptococcus neoformans and involves a complex interaction between the human host and the fungal pathogen. Although previous studies have suggested genetic differences in the pathogen impact human disease, it has proven...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAxl Promotes Zika Virus Entry and Modulates the Antiviral State of Human Sertoli CellsRecent Zika virus (ZIKV) outbreaks have identified sexual transmission as a new route of disease spread not reported for other flaviviruses. ZIKV crosses the blood-testis barrier and establishes infection in seminiferous tubules, the site for spermatozoa development. Currently, there are no therapies to treat ZIKV infection, and the immune mechanisms underlying testicular persistence are unclear. We found that multiple human testicular...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCrypt- and Mucosa-Associated Core Microbiotas in Humans and Their Alteration in Colon Cancer PatientsDue to the huge number of bacteria constituting the human colon microbiota, alteration in the balance of its constitutive taxa (i.e., dysbiosis) is highly suspected of being involved in colorectal oncogenesis. Indeed, bacterial signatures in association with CRC have been described. These signatures may vary if bacteria are identified in feces or in association with tumor tissues. Here, we show that bacteria colonize human colonic...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyA SpoIID Homolog Cleaves Glycan Strands at the Chlamydial Division SeptumChlamydiales species are obligate intracellular bacteria and important human pathogens that have a minimal division machinery lacking the proteins that are essential for bacterial division in other species, such as FtsZ. Chlamydial division requires synthesis of peptidoglycan, which forms a ring at the division septum and is rapidly turned over. However, little is known of peptidoglycan degradation, because many peptidoglycan-...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionDissecting Colistin Resistance Mechanisms in Extensively Drug-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii Clinical IsolatesThe discovery of antibiotics revolutionized modern medicine and enabled us to cure previously deadly bacterial infections. However, a progressive increase in antibiotic resistance rates is a major and global threat for our health care system. Colistin represents one of our last-resort antibiotics that is still active against most Gram-negative bacterial pathogens, but increasing resistance is reported worldwide, in particular due to the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyPhylosymbiosis Impacts Adaptive Traits in Nasonia WaspsPhylosymbiosis is an ecoevolutionary hypothesis and emerging pattern in animal-microbiota studies whereby the host phylogenetic relationships parallel the community relationships of the host-associated microbiota. A central prediction of phylosymbiosis is that closely related hosts exhibit a lower microbiota beta diversity than distantly related hosts. While phylosymbiosis has emerged as a widespread trend in a field often challenged to...